Personal Finance Advice

This is part of an ongoing money confession series where I have gathered money confessions from people that attended talks that I have given. This is confession number 34 in the series:

“I can’t stand people who complain about money when they have never known true poverty.”

Other confession already listed:

The First 25 Confessions
Shopping
Taxes
[...]

Why Economists Are Jittery about the Stock Market: “What’s been happening in financial markets over the past few days is something that truly scares monetary economists: liquidity has dried up. That is, markets in stuff that is normally traded all the time — in particular, financial instruments backed by home mortgages — have shut [...]

Many people carry around a money secret that they don’t feel they can tell anyone. I have been gathering people’s money confessions for a few months and sharing them here to give people a glimpse at some of the money issues people deal with privately. This is confession number 33 in the series:

“I gambled my [...]

A few weeks ago, I discovered a hardware store receipt among some papers my in-laws had given us. Because my father-in-law works in maintenance, I called them to see if he needed the receipt for reimbursement from his job. No, my mother-in-law told me, it wasn’t a work expense; it was the receipt [...]

As part of an ongoing money confession series, I have been gathering money confessions from people after talks I give. These are written anonymously and they give a peak into some of the money secrets that people carry around with them. This is confession number 32 in the series:

“I spend over $200 a month on [...]

Looking for a way to earn a few extra bucks for the upcoming holiday season or you know of a college student that needs some extra money this summer? Then this definitely may be something to look into. Google maps is looking for people to take some photos and gather basic information about local retail [...]

Sometimes saving money is all about the timing. I’m not talking about saving your eBay bids for the last second of the auction, though that strategy may be helpful in getting lower prices for the things you buy. I mean timing your purchases for when the demand for the things you buy [...]

This anonymously submitted money confession is part of an ongoing series that I have been gathering for a few months. The confessions show the many different money secrets that people keep to themselves. This is confession number 31 in the series:

“My company is willing to destroy the environement to save a few bucks. I keep [...]

I have noticed something really strange when it comes to dentists. I generally find that I am unwilling to pay $30,000 for a car when I can find a perfectly good one for much and I am not as concerned with brand names as I am about just being clothed and warm. However, [...]

This is part of an ongoing series of anonymously submitted money confessions that I have been gathering. I think they help to show the hidden money secrets that many people carry around unknown to others. This is confession number 30 in the series:

“I gave up my dream of being an artist and instead went for [...]

The idea of getting a college education for the sake of learning how to think has become passé. Now, young people see college as an investment, thinking, “If I (or my parents) pay to earn a degree now, I can make more money later.” In many cases, the investment pays off. Most [...]

This is an ongoing series of anonymously made money confessions that I’m sharing to show the wide variety of money secrets that people keep. This is confession number 29 in the series:

“I eat at restaurants that I can’t afford so as not to lose face with my friends.”

Other confession already listed:

The First 25 Confessions
[...]

A few months ago I started to collect money confessions from audience members from talks that I had given. At the end of the talk, I asked people to anonymously write down a money confession that they had not told anyone up to that point. I found the wide variety of confessions both interesting and [...]

For those of you who may have missed it, we’re looking for a couple of new contributors to this blog. If you feel you have an unique opinion about personal finance and enjoy writing, send me an email for more information to see if this would be a position that you might enjoy.
What Do [...]

You’ve probably heard before that it doesn’t always make sense for both adults in a household to work because the second spouse’s income is all taxed at the marginal rate. When childcare costs are factored in, there can be little-to-no financial motivation for both parents to work. But did you know that taking a full-time [...]

I have placed together a series of money confessions that have been given to me anonymously over the past couple of months. This is confession number 28 in the series:

“I spent $80,000 on a college degree I will never use.”

Other confession already listed:

Children’s Savings
Work
Money & Happiness
How Rich People Look
Joneses
Dating
[...]

Sorry, this invitation is over - I have received 5 invites Wow, that was quick. Look for more of these offers in the weeks to come…
Be quick. If you have an ING account, but haven’t been able to convert any of your invites, here’s a chance to do so. Send me an ING invite and [...]

I have been collecting money confessions from people I have met over the last couple of months. This is one of those confessions that I thought would be worthwhile sharing. This is confession number 27 in the series:

“I haven’t paid taxes in 15 years.”

Other confession already listed:

Children’s Savings
Work
Money & Happiness
How Rich [...]

Next to gasoline, cable is the one thing whose price increases I most often hear people complain about. Maybe I hear about it more often because my husband works for Comcast or because cable rates go up even more frequently than postage rates, but with the average monthly cable bill hovering near $50, people [...]

This is one of a series of money confessions that have been anonymously given to me by people I have given talks to over the last couple of months. I felt it worthwhile to share the best of these confessions. This is confession number 26 in the series:

“I shop to relieve my depression.”

Other confession already [...]